Immigrants living in California are less likely to have a gun at home, more likely to fear gun violence

Key takeaways:17.6% of the state ’s adults kept a firearm at home in 2021; of them, 7.7% said the weapons were loaded and unlocked.California has the nation ’s seventh-lowest gun death rate, but some segments of the population are particularly concerned about the dangers of gun violence.An author of the report says the findings suggest the  need to improve the state ’s gun laws.Findings from a new UCLA report reveal that immigrants living in California are much less likely than others to have a gun in their home — just 7.7% of immigrants had a firearm in 2021 versus 22.3% of all California adults. But 24.0% of immigrants report being “very worried” about being a victim of gun violence, while 12.9% of the adult population overall said they were very worried.The data are included in a newfact sheet on firearms in the home and perceptions about gun violence, and the findings are drawn from the 2021 California Health Interview Survey, which is conducted by theUCLA Center for Health Policy Research.The survey also found that 17.6% of the state ’s adults, about 5.2 million Californians, kept a firearm at home in 2021. Of those who kept a gun at home, 7.7% kept the weapon loaded and unlocked. Among military veterans who kept guns in their home, 13.9% reported that their firearms were loaded and unlocked.“California has some of the toughest gun laws in the country,” said Sean Tan, a senior public administration analyst at the research center. “Yet our findings st...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news